Feedyard margins – Wow! Packer margins – Ouch!

Cattle feeders saw their profit margins jump an astonishing $137 per head last week as cash fed cattle prices gained $6 per hundredweight, reaching new record-highs. When the dust had settled, packers were staring at another week of declining margins, with per head losses nearing $80, according to the Sterling Beef Profit Tracker. The Sterling Beef Profit Quotient improved 360 points for the week, according to estimates developed by Sterling Marketing Inc., Vale, Ore.

Pork producer margins declined more than $7 per head last week, but farrow-to-finish margins remain solidly profitable. Pork packer margins held steady at nearly $9 profit per head, according to the Sterling Pork Profit Tracker.

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